Word: sodano
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...Pope Benedict XVI spoke with reporters on his Alitalia jet just before take-off for his current trip to Germany, an imposing - and familiar - figure in black and red appeared just over the smaller shoulders of the German pontiff. He is Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and for the past 15 years, the husky Italian has served as Secretary of State, effectively the No. 2 post in the Vatican hierarchy. But for the 78-year-old prelate, who'd accompanied John Paul abroad dozens of times, this week's trip with Benedict to Bavaria will be his final assignment in the powerful...
...Though the changing of the guards has been more deliberate than some had wanted - especially those critical of the power that Sodano had amassed in the last years of John Paul's papacy - the new Pope has nonetheless already made some notable personnel moves, with others sure to come. Here are five key changes that have taken place since Benedict took over in April 2005, and five more shifts that may be on the horizon...
...Bertone was Ratzinger's deputy at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1995 to 2003. So Benedict chose the affable Cardinal in part because he knows they can work well together. But Bertone stands out because he is not a career diplomat, like Sodano and most secretaries of state in recent centuries. His theological and doctrinal background will serve Benedict's goals of turning the Curia into an administrative body aimed at facilitating the spreading of the gospel rather than consolidating its own power...
...CHOSEN. Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, 71, Archbishop of Genoa, as Pope Benedict XVI's next secretary of state; in the Vatican. A longtime aide to the current Pope, Cardinal Bertone will become the Vatican's de facto prime minister, replacing fellow Italian Angelo Cardinal Sodano in September...
...There is a sense among Vatican insiders that these two recent decisions - along with a looming decision to replace Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano - is a sign that Benedict is getting a sure handle on the running of the massive church hiearchy. Still, the Pope knows he can't simply sit behind his desk in Rome. This trip to Poland, which will be followed this year by stops in Spain, Germany and Turkey, will at once pay proper homage to John Paul and show that there is a new man very much in charge...